The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-09-16

Actlng. as pam as speech could be.
You'd better die than trouble me.'
The climber of grand altar stairs.
The maker of unending prayers.
The keeper of all heavenly balms,
The singer of Seraphic psalms,
The friend of souls, their hone. their guide
He passes by the other side.
If we have love beyond doubt
A dying man will call it out.
A lion, brute, will heed the yelp
And anguish of its wounded whelp.
And soulless bird that sings and flies
VIII answer to its own that cries.
What made the priest, that man of prayer,
Pass by, his nose up in the air?
lie wrought his noble actions when
They could be seen and praised of men.
That bleeding jew, in this lone place,
Has torn the mask from off his face.
In spacious temples he was loud
And lachrymOSe before crowd.
He gave munificently where
The throng would cry out there. look therer'
He seemed to have generous heart
When he was acting out part
In some fine play; bur that lone jew
Has laid him bare and looked him through.
He would have seen that bleeding brow
Up in Jerusalem just now.
lie would have heard that cry of woe
Along the streets of Jericho,
And helped his brother like God
With tongues to tell the deed abroad;
But here, where none stand by to see
No tongue. hands, eyes or heart has he.
His life to low self-seeking ran;
He was a priest, but not man.
4 scandal to the name he bears,
just machine for making prayers.
We may be great where men can praise,
What are we on life's lonely ways?
The whispered word of hopeful cheer,
The silent falling of a tear
The friendly hand, the generous deed,
known IN " IN tho haart of na1
Shew clearer than dress parade
The stuff of which our souls are made.
Here comes another of his kind,
But smaller, and SO walks behind,
A Levite (woud the tribe had ceased),
Apeing the manners of the priest,
Puts on the same ''GOn't-tOuch-me" look,
Takes just the gait his master took,
Ireads in his track where ere it goes,
The same precisely, heels and toes.
No. he is crossing to the place
Where the jew lies; looks in his face.
Walks roundh him, views each wounded Limb,
Stares in the eyes fast growing dim,
II Treats him as so much broken clay,
Then pigeOn-toes himself away
This dOer of religious chores
Inside of Temple hours and doors
Who held religion as a trade
And only worked it when it paid.
No thought had he of swoonS or pains,
But simply looked on the remains,
AS people Walk our ueaQ about
10 see II they are well laid out.
He served his Maker by the piece
In handling pots and blood and grease.
And having dressed the last beasts limb.
Nor man nor God had claims on him,
he loosed himself from holy things
When ne united his apron strings
Poor Jew, thy sorrows have not ceased,
For riding slowly on his beast.
Comes one who bears thy fiercest ban.
The ,oathed and lost Samaritan,
The scum and refuse of all lands
Cover thy face up with thy hands,
Upon thy nation and thy tribe
He will heap jest and scatter gibe.
Hurl curses at thy Holy Place,
And call thee dog right to thy face;
Would God that thou hadst died ere this,
He fingers; it is but to kill.
BESIDE the Jew the beast stands still.
Above the wounded, dying man
Leans that abhorred Samaritan.
He seeks the knife beneath his cloak
That carries death in one swift stroke:
He draws it! no! that's oil! that's Wine'
He looks like love, heaven born. divine.
Big tears are streaming down his cheeks,
How tender are the words he speaks
"My brother, in distress thou art:
| am thy brother; here's my heart;
Thy wounds shall drink my oil. my wine.
Then on this humble beast of mine
To near inn safe thou shalt ride:
And will walk close at thy side.''
Take home the lesson, as We can.
The secret life reveals the man.
How we have erred in judgment, all,
Calling that great which is so small,
Calling that low which is SO high
And GOdlike, it can never die.
We see, but only see in part
We see the face, but not the heart.
Beneath some cursed and hated name
May sweep soul with love af1ame.
And priestly robes may hide gaunt,
Disfigured soul, all frOth and cant.
Samaritan, well named the Good.
We hail thy sign of brotherhood
1t breathes through every cry of need
And answers in each loving deed.
IT knows nor sect, nor creed. nor race
But shines in every human face
Links North to South and East to West,